You Never Can Tell
by Catherine E. Grant
Summary: Several family problems among the rats - and not just Frank and Rachel's - are resolved simply because David Goldstein took the time to talk to a friend in need.


YOU NEVER CAN TELL  
Author: Catherine E. Grant (avatar_31@angelfire.com)  
  
Disclaimer: All the known characters belong to Mr Big, Hal McElroy. I own Jen, Daniel, and David's annoying stepmother. I'm not quite sure if Jonathon's actually married, so I made sure he was, and made her a dragon to boot.   
  
Summary: Several family problems among the rats - and not just Frank and Rachel's - are resolved simply because David Goldstein took the time to talk to a friend in need.  
  
~~  
YOU NEVER CAN TELL  
~~  
  
"Look, just leave me alone, okay?" The red haired girl pulled away from the group of other kids and curled up in the corner. "You can't know what it's like, I don't need your sort"  
  
David Goldstein exchanged a glance with his friend Daniel. It was the first party his father Jonathon had allowed him to hold, so he'd tried to do the right thing by inviting everyone he knew. He was starting to wonder if it had been such a great idea. No one could agree on the music, no one liked the food and no one seemed to be getting along.  
  
But for once, his Dad had been happy with the idea of a party, making an effort to get along. For once. He hadn't had anything special to celebrate; it had just seemed like a good idea to wind down the school term. And David had been planning to spend the entire two week break with his Mum over in the cross. He grinned at the thought. It had been simply ages since he'd seen her last, and that had just been in the supermarket. Dad hadn't allowed him to stay and talk, but had agreed that night when David asked if he could stay with her for the holidays. Two whole weeks! It would be the longest uninterrupted period of time he'd spent with her since his parents split. Nope, he couldn't wait. And if he was really lucky, he could persuade her partner, Frank, to come over a few times. David liked Frank. He was no nonsense, always honest and fun to be around. Kind of the way a father should be. Sometimes his own father was so stuffy as to be unbearable, and his step-mother was intolerable. Totally intolerable. He cherished the secret dream of someday being able to live with his mother - and Frank - full time. But she'd have to get married first, and he didn't think she really wanted to. Oh well. Dreams rarely came true, but they were always fun to dream about...  
  
"Hey, David! Earth to David!" Daniel was waving a hand in his face and shouting at him.  
"Huh?"  
"I SAID, are you going to do anything about her? It's your party, you invited her, you do something!"  
"Who?" David was still a little confused.  
"Jennifer, you idiot!" He gestured wildly over at the hunched up figure in the corner. "Why'd you invite her anyway?"  
  
''Cos I like her" David said simply.  
"Oh! David and Jennifer, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"  
  
"No!" He tried to hit him with the chip bowl. Damn. He missed.  
"She's always been nice to me, she just lives down the street, I couldn't really have a party here and not invite her, could I?" David tried to be reasonable. He wasn't a Goldstein for nothing.  
"I could" his friend muttered softly.  
  
"Well it isn't your party, is it? Keep your mouth closed Daniel and let me talk to her!" David cherished the open-mouthed look of surprise on the other's face. He wasn't his mother's son for nothing, either.   
  
"Hey, Jen, what's up?" he asked softly, crouching beside her. "Mind if I sit here too?" she didn't reply and so he made himself comfortable.  
"What's up?" he asked more gently, seeing her tearstained face.  
She shook her head briefly. "You wouldn't understand."  
  
"Try me."  
"No - you couldn't understand!"  
"Why not?" Was this how his Mum felt negotiating with people?  
"Cos you just wouldn't, that's why!" The girl shifted position and uncurled her legs. She seemed to come to a decision. "Look, if I tell you, will you just go away?"  
"Maybe."  
She hesitated.  
"Look Jen, I can't help you unless I know why you're upset, and if I know why you're upset, I just *might* be able to help."  
"Nah, ya couldn't."  
"C'mon."  
  
"Okay. But you won't understand, okay?" She took a deep breath. "My parents are split up. Mum doesn't want anything more to do with Dad because he's a copper and she reckons he's more married to his job than he is to her. She says she never sees him anymore, he's always at the station and never at home. But HE says he has to do his job, and it's important to him, and they're always arguing, and well, Dad moved out. And I'd rather live with him than with Mum cos I don't get along with her, but she got custody, cos Dad's not always home and Mum's got regular hours - she's a systems analyst -and she's got a higher income." Trailing off, she buried her head in her hands and sobbed.  
  
She snuck a brief glance at David, who was sitting there shell-shocked. "See, I told you, you wouldn't understand" Jennifer snapped bitterly, and climbed to her feet. With one last look at David she stalked out the door.  
  
Coming to his senses he glanced around and saw her storming out. "Shit" he muttered, and rose to follow her. Who could think that it could happen all over again?  
  
He found her outside on the verandah, watching the stars. The cool breeze dried her tears on her cheeks and stung her lips, but she didn't seem to notice it.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked without rancour.  
"To talk" David answered quietly.  
"Look Jen, I do understand, really I do..."  
"Oh? You live with both parents, they're happy, you have a great house..."  
Both parents? Oh.  
He laughed.  
  
"No, no I don't. How could you think that that creature - sorry woman - could be my mother!?" He spared a brief thought for any child luckless enough to call that hardened painted *tart* mother. Step-mother was bad enough, and even that was barely tolerable.   
  
"Mum and Dad are split up."  
"You too?"  
"Yeah, cos Mum's a copper, they never got along much, in the end she left but Dad got custody." David laughed without humour. "How could you contest one of the greatest lawyers in Sydney? She didn't have a hope."  
"Do you still see her?" Jen had forgotten her own dilemma to regard him with interest.  
"Yeah, occasionally. I get to spend the whole holidays with her!"   
She didn't miss the added glow in his face or the suspicious brightness of his eyes. "You really miss her, don't you?"  
"Yeah. Same as you miss your Dad, but you'll get used to it, what else can you do?"  
"Nothing I guess." She was quiet. "I'm sorry David, I didn't know, I didn't realise..."  
"Nah, it's okay. I don't like to talk about Mum and Dad that much, cos it hurts."  
"But they would have split a while ago."  
"But talking about it makes me realise again how little I see Mum."  
"Oh. That makes sense, I guess."  
  
They were silent for a while.   
"Do you ever see things in the stars, David?"   
"Yeah, great balls of gas."  
"You have no imagination!"  
"Mum calls me a pragmatist" he corrected her. "I guess I take after her."  
"Tell me about her?" her plea underscored her own feelings of missing her father. But he's not long gone, he thought. Not like Mum.  
  
"Well, she's beautiful - she's sharp - very smart - good sense of humour - caring - likes what she does - very nitpicky about things being clean - she always lets me stay up late and eat really cool things..." He remembered the last time he'd stayed and she'd made spaghetti and prawns for dinner. Frank had come over then, too, and he'd promised he wouldn't let her forget it. Good times. All of them.  
  
"What about your Dad?"  
She smiled slowly. "Fun to be around," she said simply. "He doesn't always show it, he hides what he feels, easy going, knows a lot of things...he's really caring, great to talk to - I could never really talk to Mum."  
"Yeah, I can't talk to Dad either."  
  
"I can't believe that woman isn't your mother, you know" Jen said after a pause. "She scolds you and bosses you around just like mine does."  
"Hah! That woman couldn't care less if I drowned tomorrow," David said bitterly. "She's only out for what she can get out of Dad. That's another thing I love about Mum, she's always so independent, she HAS to stand on her own two feet or she won't stand up, and she makes everyone else do the same."  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah, she's pretty good."  
  
"It's kinda strange to see a guy so full of praise about his Mum, you know?" Jennifer commented. "Girls yeah, but guys?"  
"Mum's special. Got a temper and a half, and a really quick tongue. You don't cross her and live!" David laughed. She looked at him and they shared a special grin.  
  
"Say, you wanna go for a walk?" she suggested. David looked around them quickly; the party didn't look in any danger of stopping any time soon. "Yeah sure, why not?" he shrugged. "You need anything in there?"  
"Yeah, I'll just grab my jacket."  
"Me too, good idea. Think I'll take something to eat as well." Quietly he tiptoed into the kitchen - thank goodness Dad went to bed early - and snuck a block of chocolate from the fridge. If anyone asked he'd just say a guest got to it.  
  
Jen met him in the hallway, shrugging into her coat. Seeing him watching her she commented "It's a bit big, I know, it used to be Dad's"  
"I figured" David said dryly. It nearly reached her knees and she had to roll the sleeves up. His own was a much better fit - but then Mum had bought it for him, she always knew what he liked.  
  
"Coming?"  
"Yeah, let's get out of here."  
  
They were quiet as they walked down the long driveway to the main road. "So, where do ya wanna go?" David asked after a while.   
"Um, I don't know" she admitted. "I just wanted to get away from all the people in there."  
"Me too" he agreed.  
"Say, why'd you invite them all?"  
"Couldn't decide who to leave out" he replied, feeling slightly sheepish. "I asked everyone, so they'll all keep each other amused and I don't have to do anything."  
"Good strategy!" They shared another laugh.  
  
A loud noise disrupted their reverie. Both fell immediately to the ground. "Gun shot!" David gasped. Jen met his eyes firmly. "Yeah, behind us, in those bushes" she jerked slightly with her head.  
He followed her gaze. "Can't see anything"  
  
"Maybe you aren't looking hard enough!? Get up! I said, GET UP!" The dark shiny barrel of a semi automatic slid between them and they hastened rapidly to their feet.   
  
"Get moving, kids" the gunbearer snarled. David couldn't make out any features in the darkness but he didn't recognise the voice. Not that it mattered.  
  
"Who are you?" Jen asked bravely.  
"None of your business, bitch"   
"Look, what do you want with us? We're not very big, and we get scared easily" she pointed out.  
"All the better, isn't it? You're easier to handle and I don't have to do anything to scare you. NOW GET MOVING!"  
Their assailant prodded them each in turn with the weapon to emphasise his point.  
  
"Where are we going?" asked David.   
"The marina"   
"Why?" queried Jen. If they could somehow get away...  
"Shut up! I said, SHUT UP!" He hit her across the side of the head with his free hand and she cried out.  
"Hey leave her alone!" yelled David, "what kind of threat is she?"  
"A noisy one! STOP CRYING BITCH!"  
"I'm not crying, I'm groaning in pain!" she shot back rapidly.  
"GROAN QUIETLY - or I'll hit you again!"  
"You want us to be quiet and you're yelling?" David demanded.  
  
"I'm ALLOWED to, I have the GUN!" he screamed at them. "Be quiet or I'll shoot you!" Recognising the genuine desperation and anger in the man's voice both David and Jennifer fell silent. It wasn't worth getting shot for.  
  
They walked for what seemed like ages along the uneven surface. Both stumbled once or twice but the firm prodding of the gun in their backs was enough to get them moving again without complaint. When they reached the harbour their assailant motioned them out onto the pier, keeping them well covered. In the lights from the nearby buildings they could make out his features a little easier. A thatch of brown hair covered a twisted, scarred face with a permanently angry expression engraved upon it. The hand that held the weapon didn't waver, though the man himself trembled in rage. His clothes were ragged, rank and torn, and he smelt of excess beer and not enough deodorant.  
  
Watching them carefully he untied a streamlined shiny powerboat from the pier. With a jerk of his head he signalled that they should climb abroad. Still keeping the pair covered he unearthed some rope and proceeded to tie them firmly together; booting them down the stairs he closed the hatch with an ominous thud.   
  
"Shit we're in trouble now" Jennifer muttered quietly. David bobbed his head in agreement. Their captor hadn't been able to find anything to gag them with, or perhaps he thought it wasn't worth it, so they still had communication.  
  
Up above they could hear the man moving around. With a slight groan then a shudder the engine roared into life. "Hot wired" David commented.  
"Yeah, bastard. You'd think he could afford a decent getaway craft without having to steal a boat!" They both laughed, but it was a bit hysterical and they fell quiet quickly.  
  
"Yeah, Dad's gonna kill me" whispered David.  
"Mum too" responded Jen. "Hey, why are we whispering?"  
He thought. "Um...I don't know?"  
"Would you like to take a lifeline?"  
"You watch that too?"   
"Yeah, never miss it. Wish that bastard McGuire wouldn't drag it out so much though, I just want to know if they get it, not all the bullshit in between!"  
He rolled his eyes. "Patience is a virtue, Jen"  
"It is? Since when?" her sarcasm was obvious.  
"Ha ha, very funny."  
  
They shifted around a little bit looking for some way they might cut their bonds. The pair were tied back to back around their torsos, with their hands and feet bound separately. "Shit we're in trouble" Jennifer repeated despondently. "You said that already!" exclaimed David. "You don't have to say it, I KNOW we're in trouble, I can see that! Dad is gonna go spare..."  
"Uh huh..."  
  
They fell silent. David couldn't repress the thought that if they survived this, his Dad would find some excuse to stop him going to Mum's for the holidays. That alone was enough to depress him.  
  
"-and please Jesus, have mercy upon us and save us from this plight-"  
Belatedly he realised the girl was praying. "Don't ask me to join you, Jen" he warned her, "you should know by now that I'm Jewish."  
She paused. "Oh, I'm sorry David, I forgot!" Quickly she finished the rest of the prayer under her breath in rapid time. "There, all done!" she announced triumphantly.   
  
"Now what?"  
"Now we wait."  
  
~~  
"Shit!" Frank Holloway slammed his fist down against the side of the Nemesis. "The bastard's got hostages!"  
"Who?" Rachel queried briefly as she entered the cabin. Tommy shifted slightly to allow her room.   
"Kids" Frank answered, adjusting the volume on the radio. "Reckons he picked 'em up walking down the road as he left the pawnshop, innocent as could be. Two of 'em."  
  
"You still there Holloway?" the voice crackled over the radio. "Yeah yeah, I read you" he replied.   
"Not so cocky now, are you?"  
"I'm hardly a cocky sort of bloke, Dave" Frank said calmingly. "Kiwi Dave" he muttered in an aside to Rachel's raised eyebrow. "Bastard got out of jail two weeks ago. Doesn't take him long to get busy again."  
  
"Here, I'll take over" Rachel offered, sensing Frank was about to say something that might endanger the hostages. "Hello Dave, how'ya going?"  
"Mighty fine, love" came the immediate reply. "Holloway a bit ticked off with me, is he? Tell ya what, I'll let the kids go in exchange for him."  
"Done" Frank said immediately.   
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Goldie said warningly. She wasn't really happy with the idea of Frank and Dave facing off, which was exactly what would happen if Frank accepted the offer as he seemed bound on doing.  
"Yeah mate, I'll be right" he replied. "Rather he had me than a couple of kids. Poor buggers must be scared out of their wits."  
"Yeah, poor buggers" his partner agreed.  
  
"Okay Dave, you slow down and we'll come up alongside you, and you let the kids go, and I'll come across" Frank promised over the radio.  
  
"All right." The powerboat began to slow down and Tommy directed the Nemmie in alongside her. They could see Dave, in the cabin, watching them triumphantly. Slowly he raised a semi-automatic. Just as slowly Frank jumped down onto the deck of the boat. "Now mate," he said quietly, "let those kids go and it'll just be you and me"  
  
"That ain't gonna happen, Holloway" Dave declared triumphantly, pointing the weapon directly at him. "You see, I gotta have those kids, I'll still need some hostages after I kill you." He stepped towards him, heisting the weapon lovingly.  
  
"You don't want to do this" warned Frank, inching away.  
"DROP THE GUN! I SAID, DROP THE GUN!" Dave sprang forward and pointed the gun in the detective's face. Slowly Frank lowered his gun to the ground and straightened up. "We can talk about this Dave" he began, walking backwards towards the side of the boat, "listen mate-"  
"SHUT UP BASTARD!"   
  
Three things happened very rapidly in the next few heartbeats. Dave pulled the trigger, Frank fell overboard, and Dave collapsed with a large, bleeding hole in his chest. He gaped in astonishment even as he collapsed on the deck. "You bitch" he muttered "worse than Holloway..." A trickle of blood seeped out his mouth and mingled with the sheen of sweat upon his face. The anger faded from his eyes to be replaced by - regret? - and a kind of peace.  
  
"OFFICER DOWN!" screamed Rachel Goldstein from her position on board the Nemesis. Gavin jumped down from the upper deck to enter the water, but Rachel forestalled him. Dropping her gun on the deck with a noisy clatter, she dived rapidly into the water where she'd seen Frank go down, clutching his shoulder.  
  
He was drifting, nearly unconscious, close to the side of Dave's boat. "You bastard" Rachel swore at him, "had to go and give me a bloody heart attack, didn't you?"  
"Knew you loved me" Frank smiled weakly.  
"Yeah, yeah I do, God help me" his partner agreed as she pulled his limp form to the side of the Nemesis. Willing hands reached down and pulled them both onto the deck.  
  
"I'm gonna check out those hostages" declared Tommy as he climbed on board the other boat, "you two just stay here and no more heroics - from either of you, got it?" His mock serious tone held an undertone of real threat.   
"Aye aye sir!" quipped Frank grinning, exchanging a warm look with Rachel.  
  
Rolling her eyes Woodsy draped a heavy blanket over each of them. Frank would still have to go to the hospital to get the bullet removed, but he was acting as though he won the lottery. And Rachel, still recovering from the flu, would probably end up with a bout of pneumonia for her part in the rescue.   
  
"Detectives" she muttered briefly. "What can you do with 'em?"  
  
On board the powerboat Tommy found the two kids huddled together, bound with lengths of heavy ropes. "Sheesh," he swore, "you must have pissed him off really bad to get tied like that! Won't be a moment," and he sprung above decks to yell across to Gavin for a knife. Within moments he collected it and had them both free.   
  
"Owww..." muttered Jennifer as she clambered to her feet, "I think I'm gonna fall over."  
"Just you?" queried David with a grin. "I've got enough pins and needles to burst a thousand balloons!"  
  
They both laughed, and Tommy grinned. "Where'd you hear that one, kid?" he asked, checking the cabin for any other nasty surprises.  
  
"Frank" David replied grinning. "He's my Mum's partner." He exchanged a quick look of amusement with Jen. In the time they'd been imprisoned they'd traded a lot of stories about his Mum and her Dad and the people they worked with.   
  
"Oh, I see," the constable said, though he really didn't see at all. "Yeah," said Jen as they climbed above decks and crossed to the Nemmie, "his Mum's a-"  
  
"DAVID!" Rachel's shout cut her off.  
  
"-cop" she finished grinning.   
  
David ran to his mother's side, worried. "Mum? Frank? Are you all right? What happened?"  
  
"I think we could ask you the same question," Rachel began seriously, "what on earth were you doing on the road in the middle of the night?"  
  
"He was with a gi-rl, Rach" Frank interrupted wickedly, "don't embarrass the poor kid in front of his girl-friend!"  
  
"Oh?" Rachel said archly. "Is it bad to be embarrassed in front of your girlfriend? I didn't think you would know!"  
  
"Well, I've heard stories" Frank replied, "but you see it's different for me, my girlfriend's the one who embarrasses me! Don't you, love?" he simpered and batted his eyelashes at her.   
  
Rachel flushed angrily but then caught sight of his expression. There was no way she could stay angry at him - at any of them - when he looked so damn cute. "I make it my life's work" she responded calmly, grinning all over.  
  
Frank tensed himself as if to reply to a biting sting, but it didn't come. When he realised what she'd actually said he turned and looked her in the eyes, a slow irrepressible grin sliding onto his face. What he saw there made his own eyes widen in surprise. Gently he reached out with his good hand and stroked her face. "Are you sure you want this, Rach?" he asked seriously.  
She bobbed her head slightly, not disturbing his touch. "More than anything" she answered honestly. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, Francis."  
  
"'Fraid you're stuck with ME!" he rejoined gleefully, then his hand slipped behind her back to pull her close as they leaned in to share a long, loving kiss.  
  
They broke apart regretfully, holding each other's gaze for a long moment. "Never thought I'd see the day," Goldie muttered, shaking her head. "There was a time when I couldn't even TOLERATE you!"  
  
Frank laughed and blew her a kiss.  
  
David chose that moment to interrupt. "Mum-" he began hesitatingly,  
"Yes, sweetheart?"   
"-if you're going to marry Frank-"  
"Hey who said I'm going to marry Fr-"  
"-since you ARE going to marry Frank, does that mean I can come and live with you?" David finished quickly, holding his breath.  
  
Goldie caught his eyes and her own lit up in response. "Oh Davy," she murmured, "Yes - I hope so - we could get a good house-"  
"I'll sell mine too, we can put the money towards something and pay it off" offered Frank quickly.   
She smiled at him and he thought he would explode with happiness. "I love you Francis" she said wildly, irreverently, "you're so sweet!"   
  
Sweet? Thought Frank. Then she kissed him, and all thoughts of definitions went out of his head. If she wanted sweet, then sweet she'd get.  
  
David got up and walked over to where Jennifer stood by the railing. "That's my Mum" he said unnecessarily.  
"Nah" she responded, "I thought you talked like that to every copper you met."  
They shared a companionable silence for a moment, before she continued "you didn't say anything when Frank called me your girlfriend."  
David went bright red. "Um...no" he managed to get out, "that is, I guess I wouldn't mind, you know, if you, well you and me, if it worked, I mean if you wanted to..."  
"I'd like that" she said simply.  
"You would?"   
"Yeah, I reckon you're a bit of all right, mate" Jennifer drawled in a fair imitation of Rachel, "you an' me - it could work, you know."  
"Yeah?"   
"Yeah, I reckon."  
  
They shared a grin. Then David looked over to where his mother and Frank sat in each other's embrace and grew pensive. "It looks like I'm going to get what I wanted there, too" he commented. "I'm really sorry about your dad, I mean, I'm getting to live with the parent I wanted but you don't."  
  
"Yeah, but you had to live with your dad for quite a while, I've only just started living with Mum, a lot could happen in a few years.""  
"Yeah, hope so."  
"Me too."  
  
When the Nemesis pulled up at the pier there was quite a commotion waiting for them. Jonathon and David's step-mother were waiting frigidly, twin masks of annoyance and anger stamped on their faces. Another extremely irritated woman was yelling at a uniformed constable, waving her hands around and nearly falling off the pier. Jennifer nodded slightly in response to David's unasked question. "Yep, that's my mother" she said quietly, sighing hopelessly. "Here we go again."  
  
The woman grabbed her as soon as she stepped off the boat and pulled her aside to talk furiously. Neither David's father or step-mother showed that much emotion.   
  
"Well I guess you really are your mother's son, aren't you" Jonathon began coldly; "No son of mine would go haring off in the middle of the night with a strange girl without telling anyone. And god only knows what you two got up too."  
"We didn't do anything!" David protested immediately.  
"And I'm the wicked witch of the west" his stepmother said scornfully.  
David waved his hands in triumph. "See!" he exclaimed. "We didn't do anything!"  
  
His father swiped him none-too-gently across the side of the head. "And we've had enough of your insolence, young man! My wife and I have been thinking seriously about sending you to live with your mother, we're sick to death of your attitude. We've tried to tolerate you, this evening was exactly that, but I think you've finally gone too far. Come home tonight and pack your bags David, we're finished with you."  
  
If they had been expecting any reaction out of David, it certainly wasn't the one they got. He threw his arms in the air, shouted "yes!" and ran to his mother, hugging her tightly. "Did you hear what Dad said?" he asked excitedly. Rachel ruffled his hair gently. "Yeah, tiger, I heard" she said. "I'm not sure if I should be happy or annoyed - just what did you do to piss him off like that?" But catching sight of her son's imploringly face she added "Yeah, I'm pleased, how could I not be? I wanted you so much, Davy!" She hugged him again and he forgot for the thousandth time that night the embarrassment he usually felt when his mother hugged him in public.  
  
Meanwhile Jennifer was having an in-depth conversation with her mother. "-So, Jen, if you really want to, you can go live with your father. When Mr Goldstein called me to say you'd disappeared, then we got that call from the water police, I thought you might have been trying to run away, or hurt yourself, because you didn't get what you wanted. I love you hon, I might not be the best mother but I was so worried, I want what's best for you. I've been thinking, and I think your father's a better role model, a better parent, than I could ever be. I mess up too much, I've hurt you too much."  
  
Jen studied her mother's face closely before a huge grin broke out on her own. "I love you too, Mum" she replied, "but I think it *would* be better if I lived with Dad, we fight too much for it to work. But I'll visit, I promise I will."  
  
"Yeah, you do that."  
  
She quickly hugged her mother, before, embarrassed, she tore away to look for David, who was standing talking to Frank. Behind him was his mother and another figure, a figure she couldn't see too clearly in the gloom. She squinted. Yes. She blinked. It couldn't be?  
  
"Dad?" Crying, yelling, screaming, Jennifer flung herself up the path and into her father's arms. He hugged her close, remonstrating with her for taking such risks, but she didn't really care.  
  
Rachel watched them a moment before catching Frank's eye and nodding towards the couple. "And I thought WE had something to tell HAWKER..."   
  
"Guess you never can tell, hey?" Frank mused as he stepped up next to the woman he loved, shaking his head. "Jeff Hawker - and a kid?"  
Unconsciously he slipped one arm around Rachel and the other around David, holding those he held dear as close as possible.   
  
Hawker shook his head and stroked his daughter's hair gently. "Frank Holloway - and a kid?"   
  
"Guess you never can tell."  
  
  
THE END  
  
Words: 4847   
  
Okay, that's my longest WR fan fic to boot! Hell, it's my longest fan fic full stop, I think! Now if that doesn't warrant some feedback, I don't know what does. Pleeeeeeeeaassseee! Talk to me! My muse needs the conversation!  
  
Email: avatar_31@angelfire.com  



End file.
